Sociology of Scientific Networks for the Science of Science

Preprint

• Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro; Lerner, Jürgen & Fritz, Cornelius (2024). "Socio-cognitive Networks between Researchers". ArXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.21067 

Working Papers

• Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro & Everett, Martin (working paper). "Authors Standing on the Shoulders of Other Authors: Unpacking the Author Normalised Weighted Direct Citation".

• Kronegger, Luka, Cugman, Marjan & Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro (working paper). "The Role of Membership in Knowledge Production".

Publications

• Bellotti, Elisa & Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro (2025). "Scientific Networks". In Nick Crossley and Paul Widdop (Eds.). "Handbook of Culture and Social Networks" (pp. 154 - 167). Edward Elgar. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803928784.00018 

• Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro; Bellotti, Elisa; Everett, Martin & Stadtfeld, Christoph (2024). Co-evolution of a Socio-Cognitive Scientific Network: A Case Study of Citation Dynamics Among Astronomers. Social Networks, 78, 92-108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2023.11.008

• Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro, Ortiz Ruiz, Francisca & Palacios, Diego (2023). Social Network Researchers in South America: The Chilean Society for Social Network Science (ChiSocNet). AWARI, 4. https://doi.org/10.47909/awari.48

• Ortiz, Francisca & Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro (2023). “Social Networks Science in Latin America: Emphasizes and New Directions in the Field of Social Science”. In:  Ortiz, Francisca & Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro (eds.), Social Network. Theory, Methods, and Applications in Latin America. CIS – Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. Madrid, España (pp. 9-24) (Original title of the book in Spanish: “Redes Sociales. Teoría, Métodos y Aplicaciones en América Latina”; Original title in Spanish of the chapter: “Ciencias de Redes Sociales en América Latina: Énfasis y Nuevas Directrices en el Campo de las Ciencias Sociales”)

• Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro, & Ortiz, Francisca (2022). Gender and researchers with institutional affiliations in the global south/north in social network science. Applied Network Science, 7(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-022-00478-8

• Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro; Ortiz, Francisca & Cereceda, Trinidad (2019). “Astroinformatics and the prospection of the astronomy in Chile: A sub-discipline in the global scenario, and a local scientific development”.  CUHSO · Cultura - Hombre - Sociedad. 29(1), 276-305. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7770/0719-2789.2019.CUHSO.0.0A00

• Espinosa-Rada, Alejandro; Ortiz, Francisca & Sanhueza, Nicolás (eds.) (2018). Technopolitics: Approaches to the Study of Science, Technology and Society in Chile. Sociology Series: Alberto Hurtado University Press. (Original title in Spanish: “Tecnopolíticas: Aproximaciones a los estudios de Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad en Chile”). ISBN: 9789563571721 

• Espinosa, Alejandro (2015). “Allocation of Scientists in the Astronomical Observatory Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA): Virtual Logic, Socio materiality and Control Regime in Science”. Persona y Sociedad – Universidad Alberto Hurtado, 29(2), 45-66. (Original title in Spanish: “Asignación de científicos en el observatorio astronómico Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA): lógica virtual, sociomaterialidad y régimen de control en la ciencia”) DOI: https://doi.org/10.53689/pys.v29i2.88

• Espinosa Rada, Alejandro (2014). “Differentiation in Astronomy: Self-Description and Heliocentric Conception in the Horizon of the World Society”. Revista Mad – Universidad de Chile, 31, 60-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5354/rmad.v0i31.32959

“He always had something new to say and was on a constant lookout for interesting material. The material was not for himself but for colleagues. He regularly offered gentle prodding to his colleagues to reach for more. We remember on one occasion after a particularly interesting discussion had taken place in the hallway he quipped, “I would like to put up a sign that says: ‘An intellectual discussion took place here.’"" (Nicholas C. Mullins (1939-1988), Footnotes of the American Sociological Association (member magazine), October 1988, S. 16)

"Hallo!" said Piglet, "What are you doing?"

"Hunting," said Pooh.

"Hunting what?"

"Tracking something," said Winnie-the-Pooh very mysteriously.

"Tracking what?" said Piglet, coming closer.

"That's just what I ask myself. I ask myself, 'What?'"

"What do you think you'll answer?"

"I shall have to wait until I catch up with it," said Winnie-the-Pooh. 

[Alan A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh (New York: E. P. Dutton Co., Inc., 1954), p. 36]

Sessions:

26.06.2023 Invisible Colleges/Social Circles. 

Crane, D. (1969). Social Structure in a Group of Scientists: A Test of the ‘Invisible College’ Hypothesis. American Sociological Review, 34(3), 335-352. https://doi.org/10.2307/2092499

Supplementary reading:

Coleman, J., Katz, E. & Menzel, H. (1957). The Diffusion of an Innovation Among Physicians. Sociometry, 20(4), 253-270. https://doi.org/10.2307/2785979

Kadushin, C. (1966). The Friends and Supporters of Psychotherapy: On Social Circles in Urban Life. American Sociological Review, 31(6), 786–802. https://doi.org/10.2307/2091658

03.07.2023 Small Groups Dynamics in the Formation of Scientific Networks

Mullins, N. & Mullins, C. (1973). Theories and Theory Group in Contemporary American Sociology. Harper & Row. Chapter 2: Model for the Development of Sociological Theories (pp. 17-35). 

Supplementary reading:

Mullins, N. (1972) The development of a scientific specialty: The phage group and the origins of molecular biology. Minerva 10, 51–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01881390

Mullins, N. C. (1973). The development of specialties in social science: The case of ethnomethodology . Science Studies, 3(3), 245-273. https://doi.org/10.1177/030631277300300302

10.07.2023 Scientific Specialties

Chubin, D. E. (1976). State of the field the conceptualization of scientific specialties. The Sociological Quarterly, 17(4), 448-476. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.1976.tb01715.x

Supplementary reading:

Gläser, J., (2001). Scientific Specialties as the (Currently Missing) link between scientometrics and the sociology of science. In M. Davis & C. S. Wilson (Eds.), Conference on Scientometrics and Infometrics Proceedings (pp. 191-210). Bibliometric & Informetric Research Group: Sydney.

Schrum, W. & Mullins, N. (1988). Network analysis in the study of science and technology. In A.F.J van Raan (Ed.), Handbook of Quantitative Studies of Science and Technology (pp. 107–133). Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-70537-2.50009-X

17.07.2023 Scientific Communities

Breiger, R. L. (1976). Career attributes and network structure: A blockmodel study of a biomedical research specialty. American Sociological Review, 117-135. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094376

Supplementary reading:

Burt, R. S., & Doreian, P. (1982). Testing a structural model of perception: conformity and deviance with respect to journal norms in elite sociological methodology. Quality and Quantity, 16(2), 109-150. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00166880

White, H. D., & Griffith, B. C. (1981). Author cocitation: A literature measure of intellectual structure. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 32(3), 163–171. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.4630320302

24.07.2023 The Core-sets

Collins, H. M. (1974). The TEA set: Tacit knowledge and scientific networks. Science Studies, 4(2), 165-185. https://www.jstor.org/stable/284473

Supplementary reading:

Collins, H. M. (1981). The place of the ‘core-set’ in modern science: social contingency with methodological propriety in science. History of Science, 19(1), 6-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/007327538101900102

Mulkay, M. J., Gilbert, G. N., & Woolgar, S. (1975). Problem areas and research networks in science. Sociology, 9(2), 187-203. https://doi.org/10.1177/003803857500900201

31.07.2023 Revisiting the Invisible Colleges

Lievrouw, L. A., Rogers, E. M., Lowe, C. U., & Nadel, E. (1987). Triangulation as a research strategy for identifying invisible colleges among biomedical scientists. Social Networks, 9(3), 217-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8733(87)90021-9

Supplementary reading:

Zuccala, A. (2006). Modeling the invisible college. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57(2), 152-168. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20256

Wagner, C. (2009). The New Invisible College: Science and Development. Brookings Institution Press. Chapters 1, 2 and 3.

07.08.2023 Socio-cognitive Networks

White, H. D. (2011). Scientific and Scholarly Networks. In J. Scott & P. J. Carrington (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Social Network Analysis (pp. 271–285). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446294413 

Supplementary reading:

Milard, B. (2014). The social circles behind scientific references: Relationships between citing and cited authors in chemistry publications. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 65(12), 2459-2468. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23149

White, H. D., Wellman, B., & Nazer, N. (2004). Does citation reflect social structure? Longitudinal evidence from the ‘Globenet’ interdisciplinary research group. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 55(2), 111-126. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.10369

Actor-network Theory

Latour, B. (1996). On actor-network theory: A few clarifications. Soziale Welt, 47(4), 369–381. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40878163 

"Surely you’d agree that drawing with a pencil is not the same thing as drawing the shape of a pencil. It’s the same with this ambiguous word: network." (Latour, 2005: 142)

Supplementary

Latour, B., Jensen, P., Venturini, T., Grauwin, S., & Boullier, D. (2012). ‘The whole is always smaller than its parts’ – a digital test of Gabriel Tardes’ monads. The British Journal of Sociology, 63(4), 590–615. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2012.01428.x

Venturini, T., Munk, A. K., & Jacomy, M. (2019). Actor-Network VS Network Analysis VS Digital Networks. In J. Vertesi & D. Ribes (Eds.), DigitalSTS: A Handbook and Fieldguide (pp. 510–523). Princeton University Press. https://hal.science/hal-01672289 

Sociology of Intellectuals and Social Conflict

Collins, R. (1998). The sociology of philosophies: A global theory of intellectual change. Harvard University Press. Chapters 1 and 2.

Supplementary

Frickel, S., & Gross, N. (2005). A general theory of scientific/intellectual movements. American Sociological Review, 70(2), 204-232. https://doi.org/10.1177/00031224050700020 

Keuchenius, A., Törnberg, P., & Uitermark, J. (2021). Adoption and adaptation: A computational case study of the spread of Granovetter's weak ties hypothesis. Social Networks, 66, 10-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2021.01.001 

Stratification and Networks in Science

Moody, J. (2004). The Structure of a Social Science Collaboration Network: Disciplinary Cohesion from 1963 to 1999. American Sociological Review, 69(2), 213–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240406900204

Supplementary

Newman, M. E. J. (2001). Clustering and preferential attachment in growing networks. Physical Review E, 64(2), 025102. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.64.025102 

Barabási, A. L., Jeong, H., Néda, Z., Ravasz, E., Schubert, A., & Vicsek, T. (2002). Evolution of the social network of scientific collaborations. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications, 311(3), 590–614. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4371(02)00736-7

Teams in Science

Jones, B. F., Wuchty, S., & Uzzi, B. (2008). Multi-University Research Teams: Shifting Impact, Geography, and Stratification in Science. Science, 322(5905), 1259–1262. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1158357 

Supplementary

Wuchty, S., Jones, B. F., & Uzzi, B. (2007). The Increasing Dominance of Teams in Production of Knowledge. Science, 316(5827), 1036–1039. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1136099 

Börner, K., Contractor, N., Falk-Krzesinski, H. J., Fiore, S. M., Hall, K. L., Keyton, J., Spring, B., Stokols, D., Trochim, W., & Uzzi, B. (2010). A Multi-Level Systems Perspective for the Science of Team Science. Science Translational Medicine, 2(49), 49cm24-49cm24. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.3001399

Multilevel Scientific Networks

Lazega, E., Jourda, M.-T., Mounier, L., & Stofer, R. (2008). Catching up with big fish in the big pond? Multi-level network analysis through linked design. Social Networks, 30(2), 159–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2008.02.001 

Supplementary

Bellotti, E. (2012). Getting funded. Multi-level network of physicists in Italy. Social Networks, 34(2), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2011.12.002 

Gondal, N. (2018). Duality of departmental specializations and PhD exchange: A Weberian analysis of status in interaction using multilevel exponential random graph models (mERGM). Social Networks, 55, 202–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2018.07.005

Micro-mechanisms in Scientific Networks

Kronegger, L., Ferligoj, A., & Doreian, P. (2011). On the dynamics of national scientific systems. Quality & Quantity, 45(5), 989–1015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9484-3 

Supplementary

Ferligoj, A., Kronegger, L., Mali, F., Snijders, T. A. B., & Doreian, P. (2015). Scientific collaboration dynamics in a national scientific system. Scientometrics, 104(3), 985–1012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1585-7 

Stark, T. H., Rambaran, J. A., & McFarland, D. A. (2020). The Meeting of Minds: Forging Social and Intellectual Networks within Universities. Sociological Science, 7, 433–464. https://doi.org/10.15195/v7.a18

Micro-temporal Patterns in Scientific Networks

Espinosa-Rada, A.; Lerner, J. & Fritz, C. (2024). "Socio-cognitive Networks between Researchers". ArXiv

Supplementary

Lerner, J., & Hâncean, M. G. (2023). Micro-level network dynamics of scientific collaboration and impact: relational hyperevent models for the analysis of coauthor networks. Network Science, 11(1), 5-35. https://doi.org/10.1017/nws.2022.29  

Lerner, J., Hâncean, M. G., & Lomi, A. (2023). Relational hyperevent models for the coevolution of coauthoring and citation networks. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A: Statistics in Society, 2024, qnae068, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrsssa/qnae068 

Science of Science

Fortunato, S., Bergstrom, C. T., Börner, K., Evans, J. A., Helbing, D., Milojević, S., Petersen, A. M., Radicchi, F., Sinatra, R., Uzzi, B., Vespignani, A., Waltman, L., Wang, D., & Barabási, A.-L. (2018). Science of science. Science, 359(6379), eaao0185. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao0185 

Supplementary

Bourdieu, P. (2004). Science of science and reflexivity. University of Chicago Press.

Wang, D., & Barabási, A.-L. (2021). The science of science. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108610834